Dead Heart
by Etain Hawk
Summary: Shizuru Fujino is a lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, where most people are either dead or mindless flesh-eating husks. Will the unexpected meeting with a lucky dark haired girl help saving her from going insane? Natsuki/Shizuru Natsuki/Nao HIATUS
1. Alone

**Rating: **T for this chapter, but it'll probably go up later.

**Summary: **Shizuru Fujino is the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, where most people are either dead or mindless flesh-eating husks. Will the unexpected meeting with another dark haired girl help save her from going insane?

**Warnings: **Horror, blood and violence, language and possible adult scenes in later chapters.

**Pairings: **The romance will not be always the main part from the story (I want to keep in moving), but there possibly will be a love triangle between Shizuru, Natsuki and Nao (the latter will appear later)

**Author's Notes: **Hello! So I was rewatching some zombie movies a few days ago, and suddenly I had the urge to write something on the topic, featuring the Mai-Hime cast. Plus, there are not enough zombie stories on this site :D Please have in mind that I don't intend for this story to resolve around the romance only. The characters will also have to deal with survival too, so expect from me to take it slowly. The characters themselves will probably seem kinda OOC, but let's not forget the circumstances (zombies, lack of everyday needs, the fact that you're one of the last living people on Earth) :D

Another thing, my punctuation (and sometimes my grammar) is probably really shitty, but I hope it won't be to annoying. English is not my first language.

I'll stop my rant here.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>With a heavy sigh I took a large gulp from the creased water bottle before raising my hand and casually wiping the small drops of cold sweat from my forehead. I then rested my head back on the car's seat and closed my eyes, enjoying the safety of the quiet solitude. No sounds of slow and hauling footsteps coming from the dark alley… No sounds of dragging nails against fragile windows or fierce banging on wooden doors… No sounds of—oh well, there was the very distant bothersome groaning every now and then but it wasn't something to be worried about.<p>

It was really hot today. Not that I minded though. It definitely beat staying inside… where it was dark and empty and, I sighed again, safer than outside for sure. I was testing my luck by being out here, on the street, but it couldn't be helped. I had been holed up in that house for far too long – a week, I believe, maybe more.

'Time has long lost its meaning…'

"Speaking of time…" I murmured under my breath, took another sip of water, and leaned forward to the front window, looking up at the painfully blue sky.

The sun was setting. When I had left the 'headquarters', as I liked to call the small mansion, it hadn't reached its peak yet. 'Have I really been out for this long?'

I whistled in surprise, a sound that echoed quite noisily in the quiet neighbourhood. For a moment I thought I saw the houses on the two sides of the street moving with my peripheral vision, as if staring down at me with those dark, empty windows. And were those shadows creeping behind the one way glass? '_How dare you bother us with your presence? Go away or you'll die!' _

My breath caught in my throat and I felt that sudden urge… that desperate need to hide behind the nearest corner and cry... '_Cry until the monsters go away_' My hands shot straight to my face and gathered it in my palms. Parting my lips, I let out a soft sob. "Leave me alone, please"

What was that which my mother used to tell me when I was merely a fearful child, afraid of turning the lights off in my own room or the beast in the closet?

**(Flashback)**

"Close your eyes… Forget about your surroundings. Focus on your breathing and just… imagine"

"Imagine what, mama?" a six year old brown haired girl with intense, but also terrified, crimson eyes asked, hiding under the covers, occasionally peeking at the large closet in the corner of her room.

"Oh, well, you can imagine of how your dream world looks like, sweetheart." The adult woman, who sat on the corner of the small red bed, said lovingly, smiling at her little girl with warm ruby eyes. She was a spitting older image of her daughter.

"But I don't know how my dream world looks like" said the small girl, peeking with one eye above the covers, her voice laced in confusion.

The older Fujino chuckled. She leaned forward and kissed her precious child's forehead.

"Whatever you like, dear… You can imagine tall majestic castles, beautiful towns and …"

She proceeded to tell her daughter about princes and princesses, huge forests filled with friendly animals and birds. She spoke about fairies and magical creatures until the long descriptions morphed into a beautiful fairy tale in the young girl's mind and she fell asleep, barely catching the last words that left her mama's lips.

"Sleep well, child… I'm here."

**(End Flashback)**

And that's what I did.

'_No, we will rip you to pieces_!'

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. My imagination started drawing the images in my head and soon I found myself in a large green park.

Just a simple park… crowded with people. Some of them were laughing while talking to their closest friends. Some of them were taking their dogs for a walk, trying to catch up to them… Smiling… And others were just enjoying sitting on the benches, taking in the sight of the scenery around them.

That was what I wanted.

I opened my eyes.

The voices and the shadows, a sign that I was probably losing it with each day I spent alone in this God damned city, had disappeared… for now.

Why was this happening to me? I had started getting these hallucinations about a month ago! 'They are getting on my nerves' I thought. Funny, how I could change my moods so fast…

'I need a pet… I should go searching for some signs of animals nearby tomorrow.'

"Maybe I can find a ferret? Beats talking to the mirror" I told the air around me and chuckled dryly at my own joke. After considering it for a moment, I shrugged the idea off. "Nah, I barely have enough supplies for myself, let alone a pet."

Suddenly overcome with emotions, whose reasons I couldn't determine, I leaned heavily against the steering wheel and took a deep breath.

"Pathetic…"

How long had it been?

Two? Three months since the world went straight to hell?

Memories of screaming people, running for their lives, cars crashing into one another, and children, crying in the small pools of their parents' blood, came back flooding my head.

'Go away'

Bringing up my hands, I started massaging my temples gently to ease the slight headache that had been annoying me for hours, ridding myself of the visions that plagued my mind.

I brought my eyes upon the empty street. Only a few vehicles could be seen... They were abandoned… well, except that yellow van, which had crashed into a wooden fence on the side of the street. I could manage to see an unmoving silhouette on the driver's seat. 'Hmm, I should consider saying hi one day… if he isn't completely rotten by then'

"Enough! Straighten out!" I heard my own voice say sharply and felt a wave of encouragement.

'Yes, I'm wasting time' I needed to get to the 'headquarters' as quickly as possible. I still had some work to do.

"Wouldn't want to be out in the open when dawn comes" I whispered to myself, feeling a slight shiver travelling down my spine.

I grabbed the keys and started the engine of the big 4X4. I had found this beauty in a completely destroyed garage about a month ago, while I was scavenging for anything that would have come in handy. I never had been a big fan of cars, but the huge vehicle had definitely caught my attention. It felt safe.

As I drove down towards the yellow van, I caught a movement. The van's driver, my would-be acquaintance, had started shifting around in his sit. When I passed along the vehicle, his head turned towards the sound of the engine.

I was met by a bloody and disfigured face and a pair of empty black orbs… No, they were not empty… I could clearly see emotions blazing in those soulless pupils…

Rage… and something more, which I could only recognize as hunger… deep and insatiable hunger.

I had seen that expression far too many times.

Stepping on the pedal, I drove away, ignoring the wild shrieks that followed my leave.

"I guess I'm not saying hi after all" I grumbled with fake amusement in my voice.

I settled my eyes on the sky for a moment. It was probably about 5.30 p.m. It was still pretty hot so I didn't have any reason to worry about _them _anytime soon. For some reason they didn't like the sun much or, at least, they didn't like it when the temperature in the open was still too damn high. Maybe their skin decayed faster, I wouldn't know.

Nevertheless, my thoughts were soon forgotten as I sped through a couple of blocks, nearing the surrounding parts of the city. There weren't that many houses, offices and shops here… Maybe it was for the best… living here, that is. The central parts of the city were the first to get… wiped out. The rest of it followed quickly… _It—_No… _They _were like a plague, spreading without mercy, sparing no one… Except for the lucky ones… like myself.

"Am I lucky? Does staying alive actually beat being dead? Is there really any difference?" I asked myself as I passed along a sight that indicated that I was going the right way.

A pile of bodies, lying on top of each other… All burned to nothing but deformed ashes. I cringed as the vile, yet familiar stench reached my nostrils. Hardly sparing a glance at the gruesome scene, I thought about my question and soon had the answer.

"Debate is closed until further notice" Laughing, I continued on my way.

It was not long before I could finally see the big roof of my house, hidden by a few tall oak trees. Well, it wasn't exactly mine, but hey, if I was going to spend the rest of my miserable life alone in a world where no one could judge me, why not make it count… at least for a few more months?

Come to think of it, it wasn't really a house. It was a goddamn mansion. Whoever used to live here three months ago, they had been, without doubt, one of the richest people in the area. The building was two stored, with a very unique outer design, combining both medieval and modern elements. The 'fence' reminded me of one of those mossy castle walls I'd seen in history books, only not as high and covered by beautiful wild roses, which had probably grown over a couple of years. They even served me as a defense mechanism of sorts.

The yard wasn't very big, partly because there were many blooming flowers and the large pool. I preferred open spaces, I liked it when I could see danger from afar and avoid it as fast as I could, but I didn't really want to be picky so I ignored that fact. Plus, it looked like a little piece of Heaven.

The building itself was huge. The second store was covered with one way glass from all sides. I could spy on whatever was happening outside, not that _anyone _out there had anything to hide, but still… The roof even had a small tower on the side, just next to the long line of sun batteries.

The architect, who designed that house, was mad, but in a good way.

'One would think that the house is a home to a royal family.' I thought and giggled to myself.

I parked in front of the house and stopped the engine. For a moment my eyes lingered on the gas indicator behind the steering wheel. I froze and gritted my teeth. The thin arrow had gotten dangerously close to that small, sickeningly red _**E. **_

I sighed for probably the hundredth time this day and glared hard at the air, like a fool. I knew this would happen eventually, but I never clearly realize how soon _this _might be.

No gas meant that I wouldn't be able to drive. And I couldn't really go anywhere without a proper vehicle. Most abandoned cars on the streets usually had their engines and gas cans broken, and the precious fuel had long leaked on the dry concrete. Not to mention that there weren't many cars left in the outsides. Every sane person had immediately hurried to get out of the city when the first alarms went off.

That left me with two choices.

I could take the highway and exit the city, and reach the big traffic jams, which would never get moving again. The problem was that it had been packed with _them _up there, when I had tried to leave two months ago with my old rusty Dodge. And not just with the regular slow ones. Some of them were fast, fast enough to outrun and catch a normal human. I had yet to encounter one of them in the city. Hopefully, that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

My other option was to find a gas station and get a lifetime supply of fuel (of course, 'lifetime' wasn't exactly the right term for 'many, many years'). But this option also came with its difficulties. I had stumbled upon gas stations before and for some reason, the places were filled with… customers. A lot of customers who wanted nothing but to ea-, ahem, meet you. My guess was that it had something to do with the very smell of gasoline, which was stronger there. I didn't care, I wasn't an expert. However, that didn't change the fact that trying to get in a gas station was most probably suicidal.

I broke away from my thoughtful state (I seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and shook my head.

"No time for that. Plenty to think about this later" I chided myself and took out the keys.

I pulled out the car keys and, with a final glance to the gas indicator, I got out of the vehicle. I turned my head to the sun. I still had at least an hour left, if not less.

'Let's get started'

I went around to the trunk and opened it. I smiled a little as my eyes roamed over its contents, quite pleased with myself.

One would think that, if given the opportunity, getting a good weapon would be a piece of cake. That, however, was proven wrong by me. It turned out that either the people who used to live in the city were absolutely harmless, or maybe some looter had already… uhh, looted every gun in a radius of ten kilometers. Finding a firearm was problematic, not to mention the ammo. I had been receiving katana training when I was a child and up until turning seventeen I hadn't skipped a single session. I also had some experience with martial arts. However, hand-to-hand wasn't much useful. The police station, which could be the best place to get guns, was in the central part, which I tended to avoid. My first month of lonely wandering from house to house was spent with the family's 'emergency only' gun and forty one bullets. Needless to say, the weapon became useless fairly quick.

I had never thought I would ever change my… err, peaceful way of thinking, but marveling the beautifully polished handles of the pair of revolvers (three months and there was barely any dust on them) and the nicely round and heavy bag of ammunition I could swear I felt my heart skipping a beat for a second.

The food wasn't that much of a problem. Sure, I had to get used with the thought that I would probably never eat a fresh warm meal ever again, but the insane amount of canned soup and meat was enough to keep me alive and fed, and to me, that was what mattered. The box of cans was welcomed with just as much appreciation as disgust.

I had also supplied myself with clothing, which, thankfully, hadn't been damaged by moths. I had always been a bit picky about clothes and, even now, I could spend hours of searching for the right thing. The only clothes I wore these days, however, were different variations of jeans, shirts and tank tops, and I had long forgotten about maternal needs, such as fashion, but I liked to consider myself as a collector.

I quickly went through a large bag of things like tools, tooth paste, soap, batteries and… tea. A satisfyingly full packet of green leaf tea…

Licking my lips soundly, I inhaled the moth-watering essence and gave a sigh in satisfaction.

Now I could finally put that teapot I had found last time to good use.

I walked to the front door and opened it, before I started unloading the goods and bringing them in the house.

The inside of the building could only be described with one word – Luxury. And it was true. Comfortable and neat furniture, shiny bathrooms, a built in sauna, almost anything you could possibly consider entertainment… I could live like a queen… as long as the sun batteries had the energy to power it all.

As I walked along the short path to the front door, the revolvers and the bag of bullets in hands, I glanced at the large water reservoir at the corner of the yard, next to a young lemon tree. If that hadn't been here, I would most probably die within a week from the impossibility to wash myself. I never actually filled the pool, I didn't want to waste the water on something like that, but it was perfect for nice warm baths.

Finally I had it all set. I headed to the front door and carefully slid the thin, yet strong crowbar between the handle and the side of the door. The place used to have an alarm system, but unfortunately, I couldn't get to work no matter how much I tinkered with the electronics. There was also a key for the door somewhere, but even after spending an entire day searching for it, I couldn't manage to find it.

"Maybe I'll meet the owners one day, lying somewhere, and ask them it give it to me" I murmured darkly with a forlorn expression on my face. In the eyes of a third party I probably looked like some sort of a sociopathic weirdo.

'Big deal' I thought and stuck out my tongue at the imaginary third party.

On my way back I stopped in the big hallway and stared at my reflection in the antique-looking mirror.

The months of endless struggle for survival hadn't really had any physical effect on me. I was still myself. Same red eyes, same brownish hair, same face. And yet, it was hard for me to recognize the girl—no, no longer a girl—woman, staring straight at me. I did give out a more mature and experienced vibe. And my face had lost its usual amused smile it always used to have three months ago.

"No reason to smile these days anyway" I grumbled skeptically.

I stepped into the kitchen and took out the metal teapot from the cupboard above the sink. I filled it with water, put in a few small green leaves from the tea packet, and left it to boil. I had a few minutes until it was ready.

In the mean time, I decided to close down the metal plates, which were on the side of every window and door on the first floor. They were part of the house's protection system, and were supposed to move automatically, but the system itself was broken, and I was forced to do it manually. They made it a whole lot easier though, keeping the building safe. Otherwise, I would have to nail wooden bars on every possible place _they _could get in through.

A painfully familiar blobbing sound reached my ears and my features immediately twisted into the first true smile in weeks. The tea was ready.

My parents always used to joke about my particular liking in tea and they had every right to do it. I could drink tea instead of water any day. It was a little embarrassing, but at least there was no one around to laugh now. Plus, tea calmed me and I really needed to chill out right now. On the inside I was a wreck.

I took a cup and the entire teapot and headed to the second floor. I passed along a lot of expensive-looking paintings along the staircase. I needed to throw out some of them. I mean, who the hell put a picture of weird creatures and demons in their house. The previous owners had probably been very eccentric.

I settled on the big red sofa, next to a small tea table. It was also right next to the glass wall. I could sit comfortably, sip from my tea and watch out for everything, happening outside. And that was exactly what I did. I sat and reached for the music player on my side. 'I should find some new CDs…'

It was almost seven o'clock. The skies were marred by beautiful orange and red colours. The view was nice, I had to admit, at least when you paid no mind to the abandoned houses on the other end of the street.

Staring toward the sunset I took a small sip. Funny how I still made sure to keep my manners.

'Old habits die hard'

That was how all my evenings usually went. A cup of tea, marvelous scenery, soft music… the occasional angry groaning, coming from the street.

Perfect.

**(Half an hour later…)**

The sun had already disappeared. The sky was still bright enough for me to be able to see clearly what was going on outside.

I could already hear _them_ in the distance. It was getting colder and they'd started coming out. Where they hid during the hot days had always been a mystery to me. I tended to avoid them anyways so I wasn't particularly curious to find out..

I ignored the noises.

That was until their wailing stopped.

I frowned in confusion. They usually kept on through the entire night. The only times they shut up was when they were preoccupied with something… or someone.

"Oh, relax, won't you. They've probably seen a dog or something" I muttered to myself. The words, of course, had the exact opposite effect on me, and I grew even more nervous.

Suddenly, the distant sound of rushed footsteps and screaming reached my hearing. I jumped from my seat immediately, almost knocking the teapot on the ground.

"Those aren't _theirs_" I all but shouted.

In a rush I opened the door to the wide terrace and stood on the edge of it, trying to pick up where the screaming was coming from.

"HEY!"

My eyes widened.

That scream had sounded so clearly. So… human.

"Hey?" I asked in a daze. That was the first time I'd heard a word coming from someone other than myself in three months.

"PLEASE! OPEN THE DOOR!" The desperate cry came closer than ever.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the darkness of the street, trying to see through it. My heart was beating so fast I had the feeling it might burst. My entire body was shaking. I had never felt like this before…

It was… happiness?

'Can it be?'

And then a running figure stepped into the light, coming from my house, and I could clearly see her.

Tears started pouring from my eyes. A quiet sob escaped my lips.

Was this how a dying person felt like when they saw an angel, a glimpse of hope in the face of certain death?

Was this person… my angel, my hope?

Her pale skin strongly contrasted with her dark hair and tattered clothes. Her right arm was clutched at her chest and appeared to be bleeding. She looked tired, as if she was about to trip and fall flat on her face at any moment, and never stand up again.

When she finally turned her head up, towards me, I stopped breathing.

The most intense green eyes I had ever seen in my entire life were boring straight into mine with a desperate plea for help. At that very moment I promised myself I would never let anything happen to the stranger, whom they belonged to.

Then I heard angry hissing and glanced at the darkness behind her. _They_ were stumbling in the shadows, following suit behind her. Slowly… but surely they were catching up.

A new feeling emerged deep within my chest as my face contorted into one of pure rage.

'No…'

"…I will not allow you to take her" I whispered and ran downstairs as if I was being chased by the devil himself.

I ran to my only hope.

**To be continued…**

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><p><strong>Author's notes: <strong>So how was it? Good/bad/crap? Please let me know by leaving a review :)

By the way, I really don't know where I'm going with this fic. I have plans for the next few chapters, but after that – I don't know. Ideas are welcomed if you're interested.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Not Alone

**Disclaimer: **Mai-Hime and its characters belong to Sunrise. Any OCs you'll see in the future and the plot are the product of my bored mind…

**Summary: **Shizuru Fujino is the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, where most people are either dead or mindless flesh-eating husks. Will the unexpected meeting with another dark haired girl help save her from going insane?

**Rating:** Still T in this chapter… I think. There are some gory details though, I don't know if they count. These ratings will always be a mystery to me.

**Author's Notes: **First off, I really, really want to apologize to everyone who liked this story enough to look forward to its next chapter. I just had to deal with the death of a friend of mine and, for quite some time, I wasn't feeling like writing anything at all. If you've actually waited for the second chapter – thank you for the interest and forgive me for being so late (four freaking months, I honestly can't believe it) Also, apologies to all who reviewed. I was going to respond to all of them, but I kinda lost motivation. I'll try to be more frequent this time. And much thanks to **Kajskk **for the long and nice review. It really made my day when I read it.

Secondly, I want to thank you for the wonderful feedback you've given the first chapter. I was really happy so many people liked it and put it on their fav/alert lists. I really hope I would be able to continue this fic in the future and not abandon it half way (like my homework, for example).

By the way, to all writers that are not native English speakers (and tend to get lazy) – don't start writing in your language because, seriously, the translation later is a pain in the butt (at least for me). I wrote this a month ago and finally finished translating it today . On the bright side, I got many new ideas while translating sooo this chapter is about twice the length it was supposed to be (not counting the ANs), the second half is completely rewritten, and I've added a lot of small details that will play an important role in the story in the future. Oh yeah, if you're interested about some of the things I changed, take a look at the AN once you've finished this :)

Anyways, enough blabbering.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>'Hurry! Faster!<em>'<em>

These two words were ringing like the Hell's bells in my head, as I raced through the stairs as fast as I could, jumping down a couple of stairs with each step of the spiral staircase, leading to the first floor, passing by the weird and creepy paintings hanging on the wall.

For a moment, which seemed like an entire minute, when I passed by one of them I managed to notice something strange. I _knew_ it was probably just my imagination, but it seemed so real I almost tripped in my own foot. The masterfully painted creature, which resembled a mix between a demon and a manticore, was boring its black eyes into mine from inside its gilded frame. Its mouth was stretched into a wide mocking grin, full of long razor-sharp teeth, blood dripping between them… As if it was laughing at me, staring straight into my soul with those bottomless pits. The people lying beneath its claws also had their faces turned towards me even though their eyes simply weren't there, replaced by bloody holes in their skulls. They couldn't see me, but their features were all marred by the same cruel smirk.

'_Run as fast as you can, dear'_ A sweet voice chanted in my head, but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere behind my shoulder, as I all but flew over the last few steps '_We will catch her and we will cut her open, slice her to smaaall pieces...__And then we will eat, eat, __**eat'**_

When I finally reached the even ground downstairs and ran across the big entrance hall, the voice had deformed into a disgusting guttural grunting.

I gritted my teeth, feeling my blood boiling. I really had to get rid of the damned paintings. And since when had the staircase gotten so long?

I rushed toward the front door, my steps muted by the soft Persian carpet, and ,just as my hand touched the metal plate covering the door, I realized that I wasn't armed with a proper weapon.

"Idiot!" I cursed myself. I couldn't just go outside with a simple crowbar and play Hero. I rarely used firearms, but I couldn't deal with so many right now.

I ran to the living room, almost hitting my head in the door frame in the process. At this rate I was going to get myself killed before I could even make it past the front door.

I stopped in front of the modernized fireplace, which was built for decoration purposes rather than to actually warm the room, and dialed the password with hectic fingers on the small electronic control panel, embedded in the wall.

A light hiss could be heard coming from the big tapestry above the fire, it always reminded me of the sound when you open a can of coke or something. The tapestry, which looked normal compared to other certain wall decorations in the house, moved away, revealing a solid metal safe right behind, with its own electronic lock.

The previous owners of the house hadn't had the greatest memory in the world, it had appeared. I found the small paper with the passwords for every lock and alarm system in the place on my first week here. The safe, of course, was useless, considering no one was ever going to break in and steal all my possessions, but these three months had made me really paranoid… And so everything of greater value I found outside, I hid there. That included weapons, ammunition and… tea. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

I opened the safe and grabbed one of the beautiful silver-plated revolvers. I ran to the front door again, the thought that I had wasted precious seconds clear in my mind. _They _had probably caught up to her by now. I could almost imagine their thin yet strong hands reaching out to her from the darkness with one simple intention – to drag her back along with _them._

I put the gun safely in my belt in motion and lifted moved the metal plate off the door with both hands. Completely abandoning my usual composure, I kicked the door open with haste without missing a beat.

The scene that was revealed to me as I stepped outside looked like it was taken from a random horror film. I could see the dark yard and the gate's stick steel bars. The girl's figure was facing the opposite direction. She was holding her right arm pressed to her chest. The screams had already died down and she was observing their unclear silhouettes in the darkness which had gotten closer to the house and were catching up... Faster than I was hoping they would.

Without wasting any more time, I quickly got to the gate and grabbed the metal crowbar, holding it shut. It was impossible to take out from the other side. I forced the thing out and opened the gate. The hinges, which hadn't been lubricated for years, squeaked loudly.

Upon hearing the sharp sound - startled, the dark haired girl turned around rapidly, her good arm raised above her chest, her left hand tightened in a fist, ready to strike. For a short moment I was sure she was going to attack me. Her body was so erect, she was practically shaking. It seemed as if she was about to burst from all the tension. She never hit me, however.

When her green eyes, even brighter than I had seen them from afar, shining like a pair of emeralds in the dark, met my crimson ones, her facial features eased a bit and her posture relaxed. I relieved sigh came out of her dry lips. She was safe now.

I smiled involuntarily, overcome by a sudden wave of emotions, ignoring the dark figures which stumbled behind her. The only thing that mattered at that very moment was the creature that stood before me. For the first time in months I'd finally met another _living _person. A lone tear slid down my cheek.

I opened my mouth to say something, ask for her name maybe, anything to make sure she was real and not just a trick of my unreliable imagination. However, I immediately closed it when the girl staggered towards me. She was exhausted.

I opened my arms, ready to pull her into an embrace, to whisper '_Everything will be okay' _and take her inside, away from the creatures that wanted nothing but to sink their teeth in her flesh. The growls sounded like they were coming from all directions and I managed to catch a glimpse of the closest figures with my peripheral vision. No more than twenty feet.

'Damn it!'

But what happened next wasn't anything I had expected for our first physical contact… so to speak.

Her legs bent as if she was about to fall down to the ground. I caught her in my arms and, tightening my hold on her waist, started pulling her with me. However, she didn't grab onto me, she didn't lose conscience or anything like that. Instead I felt her left hand, faster than an attacking snake, slipping to my belt and closing her fingers around the handle of the revolver.

Surprised, I tried to grab her wrist to stop her. '_She might hurt herself' _I thought. To my clouded judgment she was barely more than a child – smaller frame, lithe body – and every instinct screamed at me to protect her from anything dangerous. She looked so fragile and vulnerable…

However, as I later realized, that was about to be the first of many times this girl would prove that she should never be underestimated.

Her good hand, holding tightly the gun's handle, easily blurred away from my fingers. Her body turned around in one fluid motion and, without breaking the embrace, the girl raised her arm and aimed at the oncoming figures, the closest of which, a once beautiful woman in her mid-twenties by the looks of what I could make out in the darkness, was only a few feet away from our position.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched the green eyed girl pulling the trigger.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Six times she pulled the trigger.

Six shots echoed through the dark street.

Six bullets hit their target.

I stared in awe as the closest six creatures, one by one, fell on their knees, a small bloody hole between each pair of eyes, the last remaining signs of life burning down in all of those black orbs… if _that _could be considered as any form of life, that is…

Six shots.

Six corpses that were never going rise again to torment the living…

Over another thirty feet away the others were still coming, obviously unaffected by the loss of their own. For a moment I wondered if they were even capable of feeling anything else besides insatiable hunger. If they even recognized each other as something different from a moving object? I sympathized them, even then.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the girl in my arms.

She was still in her previous position. Her armed hand was shaking and her index finger was still on the trigger, pulling it as the gun made clicking noises. The barrel was empty, but it seemed as if she still hadn't realized it.

Then my gaze moved up to meet her face. It was covered in dust and dried stains of blood, but I could still recognize its beauty. A few strands of her dark hair, which had probably seen better days, fell down her forehead, but they couldn't hide the two green orbs. Even at a time like that, I marveled the way they shined like a pair of emeralds in the dark.

What was that old saying? _Eyes are a path into one's soul? _Probably, because her eyes were filled with unmistakable fury, like I was watching the eye of a hurricane. They were very expressive. Despite my initial joy of our successful meeting I felt cold shivers running down my spine.

After a few seconds, which seemed a lot longer to me, all these emotions suddenly disappeared from her face, replaced by sudden determination. She gazed at me with hard, yet grateful eyes and her dry tender lips opened.

"Inside. Hurry!" she ordered sternly with a look on her face that said '_If you continue staring at me like a fish and don't do something, we're both screwed'. _I had always been proud as someone who could take a hint and know when to act on it. And today was no exception. Without wasting any more time, fully realizing that I needed to move, I nodded quickly and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her a few feet back until we were in the house's grounds.

I released my hold on her and shut the front gate. The hinges rattled grievously upon the impact. My hands started scratching around to find the crowbar I had thrown on the ground. When my fingers touched the cold metal I hurried to put it between the bars.

However, I knew that neither the gate, nor the wall would manage to keep them away. This wasn't the first time they were alerted about my presence here. It hadn't happened for almost two months, but the last time it nearly cost me everything.

I was still with my old car at the time. Driving that car meant that I had to stand the loud roars coming from the front. Its engine had been causing me problems for weeks, but I liked it and didn't have the heart to get rid of it. That had been my mistake.

In one of the more sunny days I was going back to my house after spending an entire afternoon, checking most of the local shops for one special type of spices. I had managed to survive an entire month in this city and had gotten a bit careless. Why not look around for something to fix the damn taste of those disgusting canned foods, I thought… I had no luck and my searching had already taken long enough. It was slowly getting dark, clouds were covering most of the evening sky… I guess it was inevitable. I passed a _group _on my way back, only two or three miles away from my home… I ignored them, but I couldn't say the same about them. The sound of the engine and the slight smell of gas in the air guided them forward. They had tracked me, as I learned an hour later.

I was caught completely off guard while tinkering with the automatic lock system, trying to get it to work properly. They couldn't tear down the wall, of course. Unfortunately their most basic form of intelligence was still functioning and, in a matter of hour, some of them slowly started to climb on the ones who had piled up against the wall, crushing them against it in the process, forming a growing and _moving _mass of flesh until a number of them managed to fall over the other side. That very first moment I saw them doing that was also the moment they terrified me the most. The thought alone that they were beginning to get smarter made me sick. They broke a few windows before I could bring down the metal plates on each of them and two of them even got inside. Needless to say, the living room became a mess and I spent the next few days having to listen to the pounding of fists on broken glass and the sounds of tearing flesh. I couldn't sleep and not just because of the noise.

For the first time since this Hell had broken out, I felt hopeless. I had even gone as far as considering suicide, seeing that my food supplies were running extremely low and _they _weren't showing any signs of leaving soon. That was when my hallucinations and mental instability began showing out for the first time.

But, as they say, patience is a virtue and just as I was already trying to figure out which was the highest place in the house so I could tie the rope there… they started clearing out, but it wasn't entirely a coincidence. It looked like they were heading to another direction… like something or _someone _else had attracted their attention. I would never know…

It took them two weeks to leave and it took me another two days until I finally found the courage to leave the house and face the remaining ones in the yard, who couldn't leave anymore. I got rid of the corpses afterward.

And now, seeing the familiar way _they _were running into the gate, I remembered that feeling of hopelessness and desperation and gritted my teeth. It was going to be a long night…

I turned around and dropped on my knees next to the girl… Girl? It didn't sound right in my head. I hoped I would get a chance to ask for her name soon.

I had been about to try and pull her on her feet, but stopped for a few seconds when I noticed her pained expression. Her eyes were half closed and she was breathing heavily. My gaze then landed on her right arm which seemed to be causing her more pain than before. I examined it more closely and winced mentally. Her wrist was obviously broken and I could spot a number of wounds under the torn sleeve, some of them still bleeding. But that wasn't all of it. The shoulder was twisted in an unnatural way. 'Poor thing…'

I realized that she had reached the limits of her strength. Staying awake was probably hard enough – she had lost a lot of blood.

So instead of helping her walk I literally took matters into my own hands. I snaked one arm under her knees and the other I wrapped around her lower back. I found her eyes and gave her a questioning stare. She returned it with a look that said '_If it's necessary… just hurry!' _and wrapped her left arm around my neck in order to support herself. I nodded and, after gathering some strength, I lifted her bridal style. She was much lighter than I had expected, considering she was only a few inches shorter than fact still didn't make my movements any quicker, I was way too paranoid I might trip.

I rushed to the front door of the house, staggering clumsily on the paved pathway because I couldn't see what I was stepping on. I send the gate a sideways glance to see what was going on outside.

"Damn it, why won't you just give up?" I cursed under my breath.

Most of them were already there, shrieking and groaning, their arms trying to penetrate through the small spaces between the iron bars and I even noticed a few pair of hands clawing at the hard stone over the top of the wall, the roses' thorns piercing and tearing the dry flesh – they didn't seem to acknowledge any pain. They would surely figure out how to get in soon.

I made it across the door knob and kicked the door with my heel to close it. I wasted no time to block it properly. My first priority was to take care of the girl so I rushed into the spacious living room.

After roughly pushing the tea table away I gently laid her on the comfy couch in the middle of the room. She groaned when her shoulder made contact with the soft upholstery.

"Sorry." I mouthed, feeling a bit guilty I had caused her discomfort. I 'knew' her for only a few minutes and I already felt… attached to her. I couldn't bare seeing her getting hurt in any way, even by something so minor.

She ignored my awkward apology and, instead, gave me a pleading look.

"My arm…" she hissed through clenched teeth. The adrenaline was slowly leaving her exhausted body, which had begun to tremble slightly. The blood leaking from her side down the couch was already beginning to form a small red pool. I was beginning to fear that the wounds were deeper that I had thought or even worse – some of them might have struck a vein. "It's…"

She was cut off when I reached my hands and ripped the torn up sleeve of her shirt all the way to the shoulder. She seemed as if she was about to protest against my actions for a moment, but didn't do anything. Instead, she stared at me with confused and maybe even a little curious eyes, despite the condition she was in, as I wrapped the cloth around her upper arm and tied it into a tight knot. I winced upon hearing her hiss, but I didn't loosen the knot. It caused her pain, but it would slow down the blood flow from her wounds.

"Your wrist is broken and… the shoulder is dislocated… Am I right?" I asked hastily after finishing my handiwork. My throat was dry and the voice came out as a ragged, barely audible whisper.

I had never really dealt with medical treatment before, save for the couple of times I had participated in first aid training programs in high school years ago – CPR, bleeding, choking… but right now I was having difficulties with deciding on what to do next and I was slowly beginning to panic. The multiple cuts along her arm and the swollen reddened wrist weren't helping.

However, this girl… I had noticed the intelligence and confidence in her eyes. Somehow, I figured she would know what to do… and I would listen without question.

Having read the struggle behind my gaze she nodded in understanding and tried to stand up a little bit before parting her lips.

"The shoulder joint is wrenched backward" she spoke in a rusty voice. "I-I can't put it back in its socket on my own."

"I have to relocate it…?"

"Yes…" she replied, sounding anxious. "It would normally take at least a few hours in order to bandage the sore areas and relax the muscles before doing anything, but I don't think I - _we_ can afford the time for that…"

I sighed, not liking the thought of putting her through any more pain, but then I remembered something.

"There is a first aid kit here… I can get some painkillers, bandages... It should have everything that is needed to stitch your arm up."

Her expression eased up a bit upon hearing my words. She was genuinely relieved.

"Hurry." She nodded her head, the dark tresses swaying over her forehead.

I smiled reassuringly at her although I didn't think she needed it. She just had a certain aura around her… I could tell she wasn't someone who would give up that easily. Still, that thought wasn't enough to reassure _me_.

"Stay here." I spoke as I got up, mentally slapping myself for the stupid request. She answered with a slightly amused look that said '_I can't go anywhere else even if I wanted to'._

I ran out of the living room, turning my head for a second to look at the dark haired girl when I reached the door frame, as if to make sure she wouldn't disappear.

The so called 'first aid kit' was actually a pile of pills, sedatives, syringes, and all kinds of medical tools I had found and picked up during my 'visits' around the city – in fact, one of the first things I did after I had realized that I was probably one of the last surviving humans in Japan, perhaps even the entire world, was raid the first pharmacy I had laid my eyes on. It was a strange thing to do, considering I had no idea what half of the stuff I had taken was used for, but I had always been paranoid when it came to this kind of things. I liked to be prepared for anything.

'I doubt a pill would help you if one of _them _bit you though' my mind retorted cattishly. Please, don't start with me right now!

Everything I needed was stuffed in a cabinet under the bathroom sink.

I knelt down on the ceramic tiles and opened the small door.

"Let's see…" I murmured under my breath as I examined the cabinet's contents. Reaching out my hand I started going through the various bottles and pills.

"Painkillers, hmm… bandages…" I listed the items as I picked them up and placed them _in a small medical bag. I also took a sponge and a bottle of sterilized water and rushed to the kitchen to get some ice for her wrist._

Once I was done I hurried to get back.

However, I hadn't even made it across the entrance hall before I stopped in my tracks when I noticed the door's handle moving down. How…?

_Damn it!_

I had forgotten about them.

"No!" I whisper yelled, probably at myself for being such an idiot. How much time had it passed? How had they managed to get over the wall so fast? Had I really been that distracted by thoughts of the girl that I had completely ignored the banging on the windows and the loud groans coming from behind the walls?

There was no time to lock the door in time. They were going to get in.

I watched with acquiescence as the handle clicked and the door opened. For a fracture of the second I wondered how they had figured out how to open doors. I really hoped it was just a coincidence.

The first… thing to show up was a hand. The thumb and index finger were missing and at the place where the flesh had been… _bitten off _I could spot a few maggots. I resisted the urge to turn around and vomit – I would never get used to sights such as that one.

And then its owner slowly made his way in. A rather short man, probably in his early fifties. His once handsome and good-natured face was now contorted into an animalistic grimace…

I always tried to imagine how they had used to look like before, when they had been normal. Their lives… Had they had a family? A wife? A husband? Children? Those questions tormented me, even after making the final strike. I saw their faces in my sleep. They were watching me… Accusing me… I knew it had been long since they had lost their humanity, but I couldn't help feeling the guilt swelling up inside me, suffocating me…

The intruder's eyes set on me and he let out a furious growl.

I dropped what I was carrying on the floor and ran toward him as fast as possible and rammed my knee into his stomach. As expected, the move didn't seem to cause him any pain, but it did throw him off balance and he stumbled backward. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, I grabbed him by the shoulders and started pushing him towards the exit.

He proved to be quite persistent, however, when his mouth opened wide and snarled, clasping his jaws barely an inch away from my face. His foul breath stunk of death and rotten, almost making me gag. Growing angry, I grabbed his throat and clenched tightly to prevent him from biting my face off and pushed with all the strength I had. Thankfully, his movements were uncoordinated and clumsy and I managed to push him past the door frame.

After throwing one final kick at his chest, I hurried back. But when I grabbed the door's handle and tried to slam it, it hit something and didn't close fully. I heard a cracking noise as if something had broken.

I looked down. A familiar mutilated hand was stuck between the lock and the frame, up to the elbow. The revealing bone was broken and the limb was hanging on a few bloody tendons. I heard an angry groan and something started pushing from the other side of the door, increasing the pressure with each second. There were more of them!

Having no other choice, I swallowed hard and grabbed the hand and pulled. Hard.

With a sickly wet sound the limb came off from its owner and remained in my clenched fist, while the door closed and I heard the familiar click. I locked it and raised my arm to pull down the metal covering over the door.

I threw the limb in the corner with disgust and rested my forehead on the cold metal, trying to get rid of the rising nausea by breathing in large gulps of air. That had been _close._

I stood in that position for a few moments and then, with a frustrated sigh, I wiped the blood off my hands in my shirt and picked up the medical bag off the ground. I rushed to the living room, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

The raven haired girl was exactly where I had left her. The sickening spine-chilling noise they made didn't seem to bother her as she just lay on the couch with her eyes closed... In a fraction of the second I thought of the worst, that I had lost her. But, thankfully, as soon as my feet hit the floor her eyelids fluttered open and looked straight at me, a worrisome expression on her face.

"What happened?" she asked suspiciously. It was a question, but I could tell she already knew the answer and wanted confirmation.

I didn't speak right away, too ashamed to admit what had happened. Instead, I came closer and started unpacking the contents of the bag on the table. She observed me carefully the entire until I was finished.

"They almost got in… _I _almost let them in" I whispered, my voice suddenly overcome by guilt. "I… I'm sorry."

The thought of losing her because of my previous absentmindedness hurt… _physically_. It was strange, the way I felt so worried over this girl… this stranger's well-being after having just met her and barely spoken to her. For such a short period of time she had become the most important thing in my life.

She nodded, sighing, but it didn't escape to me the way she avoided my gaze. She was disappointed in me.

I winced at the disapproval in her eyes, but didn't ponder too much on it.

"What do I have to do?" I asked, determined to show her that she could trust me. Maybe not that day, but it could be the first step.

She looked up.

"Let's take care of the shoulder first…"

"Right."

Gently, I pulled her body closer to me so I would have better access to her injured arm. If anything, I knew that, in order to adjust dislocated bones, I had to keep her in place and apply pressure on the fractured spot.

"Good... Grab my upper arm… Yes, like this. Now, take a good hold of my shoulder and press down to keep it in place…"

I did as asked, careful not to touch her wounds.

"When I give the word, you'll pull my arm in your direction. Slowly. If you do it too abruptly… well, it could get worse."

"It's going to hurt you." I stated, not bothering to hide uneasiness I felt about causing her pain.

Her expression softened a bit upon hearing my words and she granted me with a barely noticeable reassuring smile.

"I know... I'm used to it." She said sadly. I didn't like the sound of that, but kept to myself. Right now, I had to help her.

The girl took a deep breath and nodded her head.

"Do it." She said simply and bit on her left fist.

I gave her another apologetic glance and, holding her down firmly, I pulled her arm. Slowly, without applying too much strength at first, but gradually increasing the pressure.

I heard an unpleasant popping sound and the girl let out a painful scream, muffled slightly by her hand. I, as if acting on instinct, immediately pulled her into an embrace and held her tightly, whispering soothing words in her ear, as she sobbed quietly into the crook of my neck.

My heart broke at the sight, but it also felt nice, holding her like this. How I had missed this… Having another's warmth so close to my body. Feeling their heart beating next to mine… It had been so long…

'I can get used to this…' I thought as I rubbed small circles on her back.

We stood like that for another minute until the girl had calmed down. She pulled away hastily. Her cheeks had reddened and she looked embarrassed.

"Umm, thanks." she muttered, wiping a few lone tears off her face.

I nodded and turned my attention to the rest of her arm. The piece of cloth I had tied above her elbow was drenched in blood, but at least most of her cuts weren't bleeding anymore. They were spread along her limb, from the elbow – to the palm. She was lucky that none of them had hit a vein.

"That was pretty much the painful part…" she told me, having followed my gaze. "The rest should be a piece of cake if you follow my instructions accordingly… Good thinking with the sleeve, by the way."

I smiled at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you, I guess first aid class has proven to be quite useful." However, my expression turned serious as I continued. "I need to clean the wounds and bandage them properly…" I said in a questioning tone.

"Correct, but first... I noticed you brought some ice?"

"That's right."

"Good, give it to me." She demanded and stretched her left palm.

I did as asked, slightly amused by her bossiness. She pressed the ice to her broken wrist, hissing quietly as it made contact with the swollen flesh.

"Alright, now let's get started… I don't suppose you need me to tell you how to clean my arm, right? Just don't take off the cloth for now."

I took the sponge and the water bottle in my hands and nodded at the girl to bring her arm closer to me. She did so and I breathed in the sharp metallic smell of blood. I had gotten used to the scent a long time ago, but now at least it wasn't mingled with that rotten flavoring I hated so much.

I used my teeth to open the bottle, careful not to spill the water on the floor. I dampened the sponge in my other hand, pouring some of the liquid over the cuts in the process.

I slowly started running the wet sponge over her arm, thoroughly removing all the bloody and dirty spots. It wasn't completely painlessly, judging by her groans.

However, something about the wounds caught my attention. Some of them were exactly alongside each other, as if cut by some wild animal's claws or… more like nails. Getting suspicious I continued to observe her arm until my eyes landed on a strange curved mark on the skin… I examined even closer until it hit me.

Bite marks…

My eyes widened. I felt anger and betrayal sweeping through me as my world, my hopes came crushing down.

"When?"

She caught my shocked gaze and furiously shook her head, the panic evident on her face.

For one short moment I questioned myself if I would be able to do what was necessary. I felt so attached to her, even after such a small amount of time, even now - after realizing what was… wrong with her. It was tearing me apart.

"No! It's not wha—"

I cut her off, gripping her throat with one hand while the other went down. I pulled out the revolver and a single bullet. My shaking fingers opened the barrel and loaded it. I pressed the gun's tip to her forehead.

She looked straight into my eyes pleadingly.

"Please…"

"One reason" I whispered, my voice cracking. "Give me one good reason to let you live!"

"For God's sake! I'm not one of them!" she screamed, trying to struggle against my grip. Her sore arm disabled her from doing so, however.

"Not yet." I said as my index finger rested on the trigger. "I'll count to three..."

She gave me a look of disbelief.

"You can't-!"

"One…" I started.

She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes wide in panic, and seemed to think hard, as if struggling to decide on something important to her. I hated seeing her like this – so afraid of… _me_. I was beginning to feel sick. 'Please, don't make me do this…'

'_Quit stalling! Kill her already!' _The familiar grunting voice ringed in my head.

"Two…" I pressed further and cocked the hammer, readying the gun.

She wasn't telling me something.

'_And then bring her to us! We'll take good care of her body, yesss…'_

Shut up.

"Th-"

"I can't get infected!" she finally spoke with a defeated expression.

I paused.

"Please, repeat that."

"I'm immune to the decease. I won't become one of them."

'How…? Immune? It can't be…'

'_She's lying! Kill her! __**Kill **__her!'_

I observed her carefully, before parting my lips…

"Three."

…And started pulling the trigger.

The girl shut her eyes and her left hand shot up in front of her face, trying to protect herself from… that which never came.

_Click._

Her breath hitched at the sound and her eyes opened, blinking wildly. She stared at me, her mouth forming inaudible words.

Eventually, she snapped out of her stunned state, coughed to clear her throat and whispered in a voice so low I had to strain my hearing to catch it.

"You… You were bluffing." It was a statement. And it was correct.

I sighed and threw the revolver on the table. My hand loosened its hold on her neck. I raised it and started rubbing my temples. I was confused.

"Immune… It-it can't be possible…"

"You have to believe me. I—"

"Explain."

She hesitated.

"I… can't. Not today, at least…"

"Why not?"

"Because… It's just that I… It's personal… But believe me, if I really was infected I would have long put an end to it, I swear!"

"How do I know you're not lying? How do I know I _won't _be woken up by your teeth sinking in my neck?" I breathed. I wanted to believe her. Badly. I probably did, actually, as much as I didn't want to. Even if I resisted - she had me. Plain and simple. I already couldn't imagine what I would do without her. And, if she _was _lying – hell, maybe my time had come… What was the point in going on like that? Alone, uncared for?

Her features hardened and she gave me the most truthful and honest expression I had ever seen. Her eyes were sparkling with determination.

"Trust me." She said firmly, without the slightest hint of deception.

And I did. Those two words were completely enough to melt my resolve and bring back the guilt from earlier.

"I… Forgive me." I lowered my head in shame.

Her response, however, wasn't anything close to what I had expected. She didn't begin shouting or insulting me. Instead, she sighed and spoke calmly.

"I don't blame you."

"You don't?" I looked up, genuinely surprised by the softness in her voice.

"No… To be honest, I would have done the same thing if I were in your place... With one difference though..."

"What's that?" I pondered, relived that I hadn't managed to make her hate me.

She looked straight at me, her bright emeralds holding a well hidden message. I saw right through it though – I was good at reading people. It wasn't a threat. Not really. More like… a warning.

"I don't bluff."

Harsh.

I rubbed the back of my head.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, if that is settled…" she trailed off and nudged her head suggestively towards her right arm.

"O-of course! I'm sorry." I said, picking up the sponge once again.

"You apologize too much." She grumbled under her breath.

I didn't object. I used to get that a lot before.

After a few minutes of awkward silence from the two of us her forearm was clean. I put away the sponge and gave the girl a quizzical look.

"We need a proper disinfectant, just in case."

I glanced back at the table.

"Damn it… Um, I don't have anything that might help like that…"

"Any strong alcohol will do."

I nodded and got up. There was a minibar at the bottom of the room, which was completely intact, ironically. Since I had never been keen of drinking and usually just ignored the countless tanks (almost literally) of expensive alcohol, it hadn't crossed my mind to use them. I had the feeling most of them were kept there as a souvenir or something. None of the bottles had even been opened.

I picked up a medium-sized bottle of brownish liquid. Whiskey.

I kneeled back before my 'guest' and poured the alcohol on a piece of cotton before applying it to her wounds. She hissed painfully, feeling the stinging sensation.

"How did you get these anyways?" I asked her. Making small talk would probably take her mind of the pain.

"Long story."

"You won't tell me? Something 'personal'?"

"I will, I promise. Actually, I have a lot to tell you… I'm just tired right now. Once you're done I'll get some sleep."

"I understand." I sighed, a bit impatient to learn more about her.

"Alright, this should be enough." She stated, referring to the improvised disinfectant. "Stitches won't be needed. You just need to bandage my arm and make a sling. Simple as that."

I removed the blood stained cloth tied around her elbow and threw it away. The rest, as she had declared earlier, was a piece of cake. I carefully wrapped up bandages around her entire arm, slicing the end of it with my teeth and tying both parts behind her neck so her arm would hang freely, without the knot loosening. I thought it would last long enough.

"Good job," she appraised me as she pulled back her bandaged hand and looked over my handiwork with approving gaze. "Roughly made, but, hopefully, I won't be wearing it for too long…"

"Thank you." I murmured dumbly, finally relaxing enough so I could enjoy the sound of her husky, soothing voice.

I could finally ease up and to take a closer look of her.

Her flawless white, almost albino like, skin accentuated her beautiful forest green eyes, so… deep and mesmerizing… I could spend an eternity lost in their depth.

Her features were sculpted and smooth – they gave away intelligence and experience, even though she looked so young, definitely a couple of years younger than me, for sure. I cringed at the thought. How had she survived for such a long time? Yet, I was probable underestimating her once again.

Long straight locks of raven-black hair hung loose down her face and shoulders, grazing her chest. It wasn't completely dark, I noted. It also had an interesting blue tint to it that, in a way, gave her a certain mystique.

Her nose was small and, for a lack of better words - _cute_. I resisted the sudden urge to pinch it. I doubted she would appreciate such action.

My gaze ran over the rest of her body. Her torn jeans and a pair of boots that didn't really suit her were the only things covering her long and tanned legs. Her shirt was also torn on a few places, most probably by finger nails, and revealed a well-toned stomach without a single fat. She was in a perfect physical shape.

This girl was gorgeous and, despite her wretched state, she looked as though she was carved by the gods.

'You really are an angel.' I thought.

I snapped out of my daze, having realized that I had been staring, but she was also giving me a similar curious look over. She noticed that she was caught and we both turned away, our cheeks reddening.

'This is ridiculous!' I mentally chided. Considering everything that was happening and _had _happened acting like and embarrassed schoolgirl was the most irrelevant reaction at a time like that.

"Um, are you hungry?" I coughed, trying to get rid of the awkwardness

"No, thank you."

Silence again.

It was interrupted by her loud yawn as she furiously rubbed her eyes. I realized that I was preventing her from getting some decent rest.

"Oh, would you like a blanket?" I smiled.

"Yeah…"

I reached my hand and grabbed the blanket, lying folded on the armchair. I often fell asleep here while reading a book or watching some film for the hundredth time. I pulled it over her, leaving her bandaged arm above it. I then got up, switched off the lightning, and found my way back in the darkness.

She started closing her eyes almost immediately, but I touched her hand slightly. I had been dying to learn one thing, but hadn't got the chance to ask, up until now.

"Wait, can you… May I know your name, please?"

She turned on the couch, lying on her side, and looked at me, her eyes glowing in the dark.

"Hmm, you're right. We haven't even introduced each other yet…"

She was quiet for a second before parting her soft lips.

"Natsuki… Natsuki Kuga."

Natsuki. Such a wonderful name.

"It suits you." I voiced my thoughts, earning an embarrassed cough.

"Well then, how do I call you, my savior?" she asked, a hint of playfulness in her tone, despite the obvious effort she was putting into not falling asleep.

"Shizuru Fujino."

"Shizuru…" she tasted my name with her tongue and suddenly it was my turn to be embarrassed. That had sounded so… nice coming from her.

"I'm glad I met you." I said seriously, not daring to think what my evening would have been like if she hadn't showed up, seeking my help.

"Likewise." She replied with content, but I had the feeling it wasn't for the same reason as me.

"Would you like me to leave you for the night?"

"Stop worrying about me so much already. And no, I… I would actually prefer if you stayed here." She finished shyly.

I paused, pleasantly surprised to hear that she didn't mind me staying with her throughout the night.

"Alright..." I spoke as I pulled the comfy armchair closer to the couch and adjusted myself in it.

"Hey, Shizuru?" she called, stiffing a yawn.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For… For everything..." she muttered quickly, but her voice was laced with gratitude. I could tell she wasn't used to this sort of thing, being so emotional, that is. "Good night."

'No… _I_ should be thanking _you._'

"Good night…"

I wanted to say something else, it didn't matter what really - I just wished to listen to her voice for a few more moments.

My thoughts were cut off by a loud inhale, followed by a soft exhale. I stared at Natsuki's rising and falling form for an entire minute before I shook my head and laughed silently.

"My, my… You sure are a noisy sleeper." I murmured, amazed that she had managed to fall asleep despite all the rattle outside.

She responded with another muffled snort.

I sighed and glanced downward to my aged gold-plated watch – one of the last remaining family possessions I kept with me, to remind me of what I had probably lost forever.

"Twenty past nine…" I whispered to myself in disappointment. I still had an entire night to look forward to… Just great.

I wondered about what I should do. I shouldn't stay up all night and watch over my guest, it was silly not to mention a bit creepy. I would have to take care of the intruders tomorrow and I would probably need some rest.

My thoughts wandered off to the girl, Natsuki, again. I remembered the bite mark and questioned what she meant by 'personal'? How had she developed an immunity? Everyone I had witnessed being bitten months ago eventually ended up sinking their teeth in the closest person around, sometimes that person being their lover, their parent, their… child.

I had so many questions…

Where did she come from? Did she still have a family? Did she know if there were other remaining people? And if yes, where were they? Did she know anything more about this damn decease, this curse?

The questions were swarming in my head like bugs. I wanted answers, but, at the same time, I feared them. What if there weren't other survivors? What if everything was hopeless?

"Stop." I furiously shook my head, getting rid of the grim thoughts. "I shouldn't be like this. I'm not alone now. It-It will be alright, it will be alright…"

'_How come you're so sure, my dear? Maybe it's all just a dream… Maybe you'll wake up tomorrow and find out there had never been a beautiful green eyed girl that found you and asked for your help… Or maybe it is not a dream. Even better. Imagine waking up beside her cold, lifeless corpse, her empty eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. But just as you're about to burst into tears the infection finalizes its job and she suddenly lungs at you, rips your body apart, your guts spill on the floor… Oh, what a feast that would be… '_

That voice… 'Please, just leave me alone.'

'_I would never do that, my dear! Even if I wanted to. I am a part of you."_

"No… no" I sobbed as tears started flowing freely from my tired eyes. I was overcome by sudden emotions and pressed my face to the soft material covering the armchair, hugging my knees... Damn it! Why was I getting so emotional? What was wrong with me?

'_Hehe, there's no point in denying it. I'm here and I always will be here - whispering, guiding. You and I, we are one." _

I finally felt how tired I had been. Not just physically, but also mentally. The whole pressure I had been put through this day, everything that had happened. It was just too much. It seemed so… unreal. What if it really was just a dream?

I realized that my sobs had gotten louder and I was surely going to wake her up at this rate, but I couldn't control myself.

Just as I was about to get up and go somewhere to down something warm touched my thigh. I glanced down with teary eyes to make out Natsuki's hand. Had she been awake the entire time?

"I'm here." A sleepy whisper. The same words the voice in my unstable mind had said in my head. But this time they sounded so different, so comforting.

It was a small gesture, but it was more than enough to make me feel better and shoo away the disturbing thoughts.

Within a few moments my sobs had died down and the tears had stopped. Natsuki didn't say anything else, but I was glad she didn't. I didn't want her to think that the one who had saved her life was weak.

After some thinking I reached my hand and bluntly took hers, lacing our fingers together, and traced my thumb across the tender skin. If she minded, she didn't show any signs of it.

I relaxed on my seat and closed my eyes. It would hopefully be a dreamless night…

I sighed as I felt the persistent arms of sleep pulling me into oblivion.

Peacefully, I surrendered to them, my last thoughts unconsciously going back to that green park…

_It wasn't like I remembered it though. There were no people around. It was as quiet as a cemetery. My newfound companion and I were standing next to each other in the middle of a large clearing, holding hands, eyes tilted toward the bloody sunset…_

_Hoping for a better tomorrow…_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>So was it too bad? For some reason I don't really like the way it turned out, but I couldn't figure what to change. I'm leaving this chapter is it is. I hope you've enjoyed it nonetheless :)

I'll share a few funny facts. Natsuki, for example, was supposed to be unconscious after Shizuru comes back with the 'med kit'. But, I figured, she's way to stubborn to allow something as simple as blood loss to get to her, so I decided against it. Plus, it made it a lot more dynamic than it first was. Shizuru wasn't supposed to notice any bite marks either nor was Natsuki going to hold onto any secrets. I decided to make their relationship somewhat strained at first. Hmm, also… pay attention to that little 'personal' Natsuki said. It's going to be a big part of the background story.

Oh yeah, as you've noticed Shizuru is a liiittle bit mentally unstable. I once watched a documentary by a guy (with a cool beard) who had to survive on his own in the Canadian forests for FOUR months. On the third month he had pretty much gone crazy – talking a lot to himself, crying etc. It was a little depressing and sad. I imagine if a person is stuck alone in an entire city with some of its former population trying to kill them, they wouldn't be exactly sane for the most part. My point is, her 'other self' will also be a big part of the fic and I hope that it wasn't too weird. :D

Anyways, I'll stop now before I make the ANs longer than the chapter... Thank you for your time and, again, a big 'Sorry' to everyone who has waited patiently for this chapter.


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